Hobbies And Interests
One Fact
One Fact is an icebreaker game that teaches kids a little bit about everyone else in the group, allowing them to start to socializing. Each kid writes one interesting thing about herself on a slip of paper without including her name and puts the paper it in a hat. The kids then each draw slips of paper. Each child has to find out who the fact is about and get more information about it. Then, each child introduces her new friend to the class. For example, if Sarah writes "I've lived in three different states" and Jen draws her sheet, Jen might ask her where. Afterwards, Jen will tell the class "Sarah has lived in three different states: Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts."
Continuum
Creativekidsathome.com suggests playing the classic children's icebreaker game Continuum, a sorting game involving lots of movement. The children all stand in a huddle in one corner of a room and the adult calls out a category, such as "height." The children then have to arrange themselves by height. Other categories, such as birthday month, first name and number of siblings require the children to socialize, giving them a chance to talk together. The adult can give the kids plenty of time to chat and find out things about each other, or he can time the game for more hyperactive groups, giving them a challenge.
Mystery Object
This icebreaker game is also an exercise in imagination, perfect for getting children's imaginations going. To begin, the adult and all the children sit in a circle, and the adult kneads an imaginary piece of clay. The adult tells the kids, "I have a piece of clay in my hand, and I'm going to make it into something. Can you guess what it is?" He then shapes the clay into some object and uses it. The kids have to guess what the object is by shouting out answers. When one of the children guesses correctly, that child gets a turn and the game begins again, and the game can continue for as long as necessary. Although this children's icebreaker does not involve much socializing, it does involve group imaginative play, which can make children feel more comfortable around each other.